The Hutchinson Community College Women's Basketball team looks to continue its late-season surge and do so against the team just ahead of the Blue Dragons in the Jayhawk Conference standings on Saturday.

The No. 22-ranked Blue Dragons go for their fourth-consecutive victory as the Independence Pirates come to the Sports Arena for a 5:30 p.m. matchup. This is the final regular-season game for Hutchinson this season. The Blue Dragons will play host to a Region VI Tournament opening-round game on Thursday, March 1.

Before the game will be the annual Blue Dragon Chili and Pie Feed beginning at 4:45 p.m. in the Sports Arena Practice gyms.

The game will be broadcast live by Blue Dragon flagship station KHUT-FM (102.9) and on sister stations KWBW-AM/FM (1450/98.5) beginning at 5:20 p.m. with Glen Grunwald (play-by-play) and Rusty Hilst (analysis) calling the action. The game will also be streamed live on the Blue Dragon Sports Network beginning at 5:20 p.m.

Independence (22-5, 20-4) is in second place in the Jayhawk Conference, one game behind leader Seward County. The Blue Dragons are in third place (23-5, 19-5) one game behind the Pirates.

A victory by the Blue Dragons would move Hutchinson into a second-place tie in the KJCCC and the inside track to the Region VI Tournament No. 2 overall seed by virtue of owning the head-to-head tiebreaker with Independence.

An Independence victory means the Pirates will be no worse than the second seed for Region VI and still have hopes for a shared Jayhawk Conference title heading into Monday's final games of the regular season.

Hutchinson won the first meeting with Independence, 56-53 on January 10 at Independence, the 14th- consecutive victory over the Pirates. The Blue Dragons were mired in foul trouble and trailed 41-40 after three quarters. Independence had six possessions to tie or take the lead in the final quarter, but was 0 of 6 in those situations.

The Blue Dragons enter play on Saturday on a three-game winning streak. The Dragons shot a season-high 57.4 percent, had five players score in double figures and had six players with at least three assists in an 82-48 victory over Allen on Wednesday in Iola.

Over Hutch's three-game winning streak, the Dragons are averaging 74.7 points offensively and 50.0 points defensively. Hutch is shooting 48.8 percent – the highest this season for any three-game stretch – including 38.7 percent from 3-point range.

Independence has only a 48-hour prep for the Blue Dragons. The Pirates' game with Dodge City was pushed back to Thursday at the ICC Fieldhouse. The Pirates struggled for a 51-45 victory over the Conquistadors.

After Saturday, Hutchinson will have a 48-hour prep to travel to Dodge City for the regular-season finale on Monday in Dodge City.

After Saturday's game, the Blue Dragons will honor all three 2018 sophomores.